Demon Travel
by DiabloCat
Summary: For the first time, my own little personal fantasy brought to life! Meet Carleigh Wred. She seems like an ordinary girl. But she's not. With the help of a special friend, she can travel inside books...
1. Default Chapter

DiabloCat: I can't believe I'm actually going to do this. This is my private fantasy world that I spend most of my life in. Now I'm posting it on the net. Oh well. Enjoy...

DEMON TRAVEL

"Hello Carleigh."

My eyes widened, and I closed my book with a snap. "Demon!"

He beamed at me, eyes twinkling. If it had been possible, I would have hugged him, but you can't hug someone who's not truly there. So I just sat and grinned.

"It's been ages since you last came!"

Demon shrugged. "I figured you needed a break after the last adventure."

I winced. "Yeah, being stabbed isn't fun. But I'm over that now. I presume you have an offer?"

Demon laughed. "Why else would I be here? You know I'm not the one for social visits."

"True. So where to this time?"

"Somewhere – different."

I stiffened at the tone of his voice. I don't like it when he goes all mysterious.

"Exactly HOW is it different?" I asked suspiciously.

"Well, you probably won't know it that well..."

"Demon, quit stalling." I looked him straight in the eyes. "Spit it out. Where are you sending me?"

He smiled. "The Island of Mata Nui."

The name seemed familiar, but it took me a while to place it. "Bionicle? You're sending me into Bionicle?"

"Yep. It'll be great fun!"

I stared at him. "But Bionicle's a toy, not a book."

He raised one semi-transparent finger. "Ah, that's where you're wrong. Books have been written on it. Besides, it's also a movie, and movies have scripts."

I waved a hand impatiently. "Yeah, yeah, I know that. I was just in one, remember?" I couldn't repress a shudder at the rather painful end I'd met. "But I haven't read the books. I didn't know they'd existed!"

"You've watched the movie."

"It's not the same."

"On the contrary. The books were written for the movie."

"Oh."

I bet anyone reading this will be bloody confused about now. You'll probably be asking yourselves a whole bunch of questions like: What the hell? Why is there a transparent guy in her room? What kind of name is Demon? And why are they talking about going into books?

Truth is, I don't know Demon's real name. I don't think he actually has one. Never really asked him. But we know each other pretty well.

My name's Carleigh Wred. I'm a total read-a-holic, majorly obsessed with books. In fact, that's how I met him. I was lying on my bed reading one day, when suddenly he was there. A weird transparent guy standing in my room. Scared the hell out of me! I was home alone, so I couldn't run screaming to Mum or anything. I threw the book at him, but it sort of went through his head.

Round about then, I decided he was a ghost. Went from scared to terrified, and tried to escape, but he waved his hand, and I couldn't move.

So we talked. Mind you, I didn't have much of a choice. He said he was a book demon. The Book Demon, in fact. I just call him Demon for short.

He said he was looking for someone with imagination, and a passion for books. Said I fitted both qualities well, so he had an offer to make.

I could travel in books. Meet the characters, fight alongside them, help them solve mysteries. His first offer was to go into Lord of the Rings. It was an irresistible proposition.

As you can imagine, I knew nothing about fighting, or riding horses, or any of that stuff. So he'd bestow me with some 'gifts'. I received a sword, and the ability to use it. I received the ability to ride horses, and to understand all tongues. Stuff like that.

But I wasn't invulnerable. I could get hurt – even die. The aim was to survive for as long as possible. When I died, I came straight back to where I was beforehand. Nice and simple. If I survived until the end of the story, I was free to live a life in that book until old age took care of me, exploring the various parts of that world.

The only conditions were that he selected the books, and that I was to have little 'challenges'. For example, in Lord of the Rings, he could make a little band of Orcs attack us. It didn't happen in the book, but it gives me a chance to prove myself.

I also had to be VERY careful. If I messed up, I could change the whole story. A world that had survived in the book could perish if I accidentally got a main character killed or something.

So far I've been in tonnes of books, and a couple of movies. Movies have scripts, see. I can travel in ANY literature. I could even go inside a maths textbook...but who on Earth would want to do that?

Anyway, as I said before, I've been in lots of books. I've been in popular books like Lord of the Rings (J.R.Tolkien) and Harry Potter (J.K.Rowlings). I've also battled in less well-known books like Ice Station (Matthew Reilly), Northern Lights (Philip Pullman) and Sabriel (Garth Nix).

If you think reading is good, let me tell you, it's nothing compared to actually being there.

As for movies, I've been in heaps. My very last 'mission' was in Pirates of the Caribbean. And, yes, Jack Sparrow is still very hot, even when he isn't Johnny Depp.

When I go into a story, I have to have an alibi. In Pirates, I was a young boy (bugger) named Jet, skilled with a sword and nautical life. I usually use the same name more than once. In Deltora Quest, I was again a boy named Jet. I often have to change gender, as sometimes their pretty anti-female. In Lord of the Rings, I was again a boy, but this time named Kia.

I HAVE been a girl. In that case, I'm usually called Catherine Kyte, nicknamed Cat. I like cats, see? And if I have to have a codename, like in Ice Station or X-men, it's usually Diablo.

And I don't always survive. I died in Pirates of the Caribbean. Skewered right through the middle on a sword. Managed to get the mongrel that did it before I died though. Ah, sweet revenge.

Well, that about sums up the whole story. Ah, I can just imagine the look on your face about now. Something like, "WTF? Is she CRAZY?"

Whether I'm crazy or not is of no importance. Just enjoy my tale, okay? It's the first time I've ever told anyone. Funny that. You can imagine how my parents would react if I told them. "Hey Mum, guess what? I've been travelling in and out of books this past year, along with this transparent guy only I can see..."

Yeah. Right. Now, back to the present...

"Alright, alright," I sighed. "I'll go. I need a break anyway. Stupid maths exams."

"Excellent!" Demon grinned, and then waved his hands around. My bedroom disappeared, and I found myself in the Title Page Dimension. Well, that's what I call it. It's blank, like a piece of paper, with little black lines running around everywhere. If you look closely, you can read the lines. They're the titles of various books.

Demon scanned the flitting titles, and then gave an exclamation. He reached out and snatched one of them up. "Ha! Got it."

"Nice. Now, what do I need?"

"Oh yeah. Almost forgot. Okay, you'll need a weapon – here you go." He pulled some weird looking sword thing out of the air. "Nice and strong, but not too heavy. I figured you'd need a bit of protection, so it conjures up a shield if you whack it in the ground. Also fires lightning bolts for long distance attacks."

I took the sword, and gave it an experimental swing. "Hmm, good weight. Lightning bolts huh? Neat."

"And here's the ability to speak and understand the various languages there. I don't think they understand English."

I reached out and touched the little ball of light he was holding. It sank into my skin with a little tremble of warmth.

"And that's about it."

"Aren't you going to transform me into a Toa thing?" I asked in surprise.

"Nah. It'll be more fun this way."

"What about a cover story?"

"Just say you're a being from a different dimension that's been sent to help," he shrugged.

"That's pretty close to the truth," I said. "But I don't think it will be a good idea to tell them they're just a bunch of toys where I'm from."

"Definitely not."

"Well," I said, gripping my new sword. "Let's get going."

There was a flash of light, and I found myself on the Island of Mata Nui. Well, on wasn't the right term.

Try floating a hundred feet above it.

DiabloCat: Yeah, I know it's weird. Makes perfect sense to me, but then again, I did create it all. Demon's my personal friend who I travel with. I've always had a secret dream of being able to travel into books. I usually just do it in my mind. Now it's on paper...God help us all.

Oh, and forgive my pathetic knowledge of the Bionicle world. If I get names and stuff wrong, please do not kill me.


	2. A Meeting

DiabloCat: I'M BACK! I don't know if you noticed I was missing, but I was on holidays with no computer, thus the long wait. But now I'm back!

Chessrook44: Thanks for the info! A hardened Bionicle fan, eh? Well, I'll keep in mind all you said. Thanks again!

Jade: Ow, dying hurts, huh? Yes, I've read Northern Lights (and loved it) and also Deltora Quest (loved it too). And you never know, there could be some strange boy out there called Jade. For my parting comment - CATS RULE!

Nightbu08: Yep, Garth Nix is a master of the written word.

Now, on with the story!

DEMON TRAVEL – A MEETING

Demon appeared next to me. I folded my arms and tried to lean forwards, which is rather hard to do in midair. I looked him sternly in the eye and said firmly, "No. Definitely not. Don't even THINK about it."

"Aw, come on Carleigh. It'll be a dramatic entrance."

"What do you mean?"

"The whole alternate dimension thing will be even better if you do the traditional drop-out-of-the-sky thing."

"NO! I don't care how dramatic it looks! I'll be killed!"

Demon rolled his eyes. "In case you've forgotten, one of them IS the Toa of Air."

"That doesn't mean he'll catch me," I retorted. "I wouldn't save a weird looking creature that fell out of the sky!"

"Don't worry; I'm not going to let you die before you even got started. If they don't save you, I'll do it myself. You'll just hit the ground and roll a little. I'll even take away the pain."

"Oh, geez thanks," I said sarcastically. "Rolling along the ground after falling a hundred feet is something I've always dreamed of doing."

"Oh, don't be such a sook. Okay, there THEY are," he said, pointing at a cluster of coloured blobs. "So that's where you'll land."

"What if they decide to kill me?"

"They won't. Just convince them you're a friend."

"I swear you purposely try and make it difficult," I grumbled. "Every bloody ti-AARRGGHH!"

Demon, with an evil grin, waved goodbye as I dropped out of the sky, yelling the whole way.

I gave Demon the finger on the way down, then twisted round so I could see the ground I was about to hit. I was still holding my sword, so I sheathed that. It wouldn't be much fun stabbing myself when I landed.

The little coloured blobs seemed to have noticed me. Not surprising really, considering I was still yelling my lungs out. Falling out of the sky ain't fun, even when you know you won't die.

When I was about thirty feet from hugging hard rock, the green blob – though he looked less like a blob this close – raised his arms. A gust of wind swirled around me, and my descent slowed considerably. As it was, I still hit the ground hard enough to bounce and roll along the ground, until a large rock halted my progress.

I slowly climbed to my knees with a groan. Since the Air Toa had helped, Demon hadn't taken away the pain.

"Man, I'm gonna feel those bruises tomorrow," I muttered under my breath. I looked up a little – and instinctively froze. Six pairs of coloured clunky feet were standing about a metre in front of me. And there was a red sword pointing at my nose.

I put my hands up in the air. I wasn't sure if the gesture was used here, but it at least showed I had no weapons in my hands.

The six Toa looked rather taken aback at the sight of me.

"What is it?" asked the brown one. Pohatu, I think.

"I don't know. It's like nothing I've ever seen before!" said the black one, Onua.

I felt mildly offended. It? I was not an it! "That's because I'm not from here. I -"

I broke off as the sword moved a little closer to my nose. I swallowed nervously. "Ah, please don't spear me on that."

"How do you know our language?" demanded the Tahu, the red Toa.

"I'm...er...well-educated?" I hazarded. This was not the greeting I had really imagined. If I wasn't careful, this would end up as a new record for the shortest time in a story ever. Maybe if I appealed to their nice side...they WERE the good guys!

"I'm not going to hurt you," I said. "I'm here to help."

The blue one cocked her head. "Help us?"

"Yeah, that's what Dem-...er...my Master said." I cringed at calling Demon Master, but saying I was the friend of a demon doesn't sound too good.

"And your Master sent you here?" asked Pohatu.

"Yeah. He said that...um...that trouble is coming. Really bad trouble. So I got sent over." Okay, so making up prophesies isn't my thing. Hopefully it would convince them.

"What kind of scarybad trouble? Will it threaten the homevillages?" piped the green one. The Air Toa, Lewa.

"I'm not really sure, but it's bad." Damn, what WAS the trouble? I wasn't sure in what time period Demon had dropped me. Was it the Bohrok, or the Rahkshi, or something else entirely? And who was the crazy mongrel who made up these weird names in the first place!!!

"What are you?" asked Pohatu, peering at me curiously.

"I'm a human," I replied. "The main species from a different...er...dimension."

They all stared at me. "A different dimension?"

"Yeah. We kinda all look like this over there. Well, not all but mostly."

There was a pause. I could see the Toa were imagining a planet full of people that looked like me. Must have been a bizarre thought, because, as one, they all shuddered.

I felt slightly indignant, but decided not to comment. Tahu was still pointing the sword at my face. Time to do something about that.

"Uh, Tahu? Can you stop pointing that thing at me? I swear I'm not going to attack you."

Oops. Mistake. The sword edged closer to my nose. "How do you know my name?" he demanded.

"My Master gave me some information about this world. Like how to speak you language, and names and stuff."

Gali rested a hand on Tahu's shoulder. "I believe it. It means no harm."

The white Toa, Kopaka, spoke for the first time. "Yes, it seems to be telling the truth."

I sighed with relief. At least I wasn't going to become a Toa shish-kebab. "Great. So, can I stand up now? The ground's sort of rocky."

Tahu grudgingly removed his sword, and I climbed to my feet, wincing. Definitely going to feel those bruises. Pohatu chuckled. "Nothing wrong with rocks."

I wrinkled my nose at him. "Easy for you to say." For the first time, I got a good look at the Toa.

They were tall. Really tall. I'm talking seven foot high, skeletal figures. It was slightly unnerving, but at least they weren't going to kill me. I'd hate to have to fight one. For one thing, skin is a lot frailer than...whatever they were made out of.

"Do you have a name?" asked Onua.

"Yeah. Back home, they call me Carleigh. Oh, and I'm a she, not an it." I didn't need to worry about a different name.

"Car-lee," Onua said, trying out the word. "Strange. And you are female?"

"Yeah. Looks like I'm kinda outnumbered though." Suddenly my stomach grumbled. Demon had interrupted me before I'd had a chance to eat breakfast, and now I was STARVING!

"Hey, is there a chance I could get something to eat?" A horrifying thought hit me. "Do you even eat?"

They laughed at that. Great, now I was the funny creature from another dimension.

"Of course we eat!" said Pohatu.

"My village is closest," said Lewa. "I could quickfly you there, if you'd like."

I accepted. I had passed the first danger, and now the fun was really about to start!

DiabloCat: Yay, now stuff starts to happen! I'm going to enjoy this...(Rubs hands gleefully)


	3. Treelover's Heaven

DiabloCat: I am REALLY sorry about my horrendous updating habits. I've been swamped in work lately. I'll try to write more quickly, but I don't guarantee anything.

Tahalli: Uh – who is Sykes? Never mind. Thanks for reviewing, and I'm glad I've actually managed to inspire someone!

Shadowed Suit: Aw, stop, you're making me blush! And yeah, you can go into games. Starcraft, Halo – that sort of thing, right?

Feline Freak: Okay, so you're Jade and Jade is you...I think I've got it...

Chessrook44: Again, thanks for the tips. The Le-Koro speaking thingo on the 'net was very handy.

And now...CHAPTER THREE: TREE-LOVER'S HEAVEN

If you have never flown through the air on the back of a Toa – which I doubt you have – you have missed out on one of the WILDEST rides ever.

Think of the scariest theme park you know of. Then triple the thrill. Then add the fact there's no seatbelts – the only thing holding you on is your arms.

Put all that together, and I was about an inch away from wetting my pants.

Not to say it wasn't fun. There's definitely something cool about flying through the air, the wind smacking into your face, wispy bits of cloud tickling your ears.

And the scenery! When I finally screwed up the courage to look down, it took my breath away. Which wasn't so great because I was having enough trouble breathing already. Flying does that to you. Anyway, the view was stunning. It was easy to see which parts of it certain Toa occupied – it was the same colour as them.

Suddenly Lewa tilted, and we headed for the ground. I couldn't stop a startled yelp escaping as we dove downwards. A flock of brightly coloured birds whirled around us, chattering indignantly as we invaded their privacy.

With a neat twist, turn and tumble that nearly threw me off, Lewa landed. I dropped to the ground rather ungracefully. Great, more bruises.

The large green Toa was grinning at me. "Did you muchlike quicksoaring?"

I dragged in a deep breath and answered him. "Oh yeah. I muchlike it a LOT!" I looked around. It was green. Really green. I just loved the ways rainforests and such had so many different shades of the colour.

"Where's Le-Koro?" I asked, unable to see it anywhere close by.

"Through there," he said, pointing. I peered where his green finger indicated – and saw a wall of green.

"Er...I don't wish to seem rude or anything – but there's nothing there."

Lewa's eyes glittered with amusement. He walked over to the wall of tangled vines, and did something I couldn't quite catch. All I knew was that he'd somehow opened a gap in the wall, big enough to walk through.

I followed Lewa closely, not wishing to get lost. I had distinctly heard a growl earlier, and didn't want to meet the creature who had made it.

My first impression of Le-Koro was one of playful activity.

Matorans were everywhere, leaping from tree to tree with a nimble ease I envied. Some were building, carrying pieces off wood and vine with them. An elderly Matoran seemed to be schooling a bunch of younger ones. Several were playing tag in the tree-tops.

The elderly Matoran looked up and saw us standing there and broke into a broad smile.

"Toa Lewa!" he cried, and waddled over. The group of young ones trailed along behind him, smiling at Lewa, and staring at me with innocent curiosity.

"Turaga Matau," Lewa said warmly. He placed one hand behind my back and scooted me forwards slightly. I found myself staring into the eyes of the wizened Matoran. "This is Carleigh. It – she says she is from..." He paused and looked at me questioningly.

"Um...another dimension." I said lamely. Mentally I groaned. It sounded so stupid!

Thankfully, the Turaga either didn't pick up on the lameness, or chose to ignore it. He merely scrutinised me slowly, from head to toe. Apparently I wasn't too evil or anything, because he gave me a smile and offered a tour.

I accepted with genuine enthusiasm. This place was fascinating. Besides, what's the point of going to a world if you don't get to do a bit of sight-seeing along the way?

Matau called over another Matoran, who introduced himself as Tamaru. Tamaru listened to the request, and agreed to show me round.

I watched Lewa walk off with Matau, and then turned back to my guide. It was much easier talking to a Matoran. For one thing, you don't have to crane your neck back to look into their faces. They were roughly the same height as me, some a little taller, some a little shorter.

Tamaru led me over to a tree, easily as big as a skyscraper. I tilted my head all the way back and still couldn't see the top.

"Come on!" said Tamaru, and bounded up the enormous tree to a branch without the slightest hint of difficulty. I just gawped. There was no way I could do that.

Tamaru saw me still on the ground, and dropped back down again.

"What is the matter?" he asked, puzzled.

I found my voice. "I don't think I can climb as well as you."

"It's mucheasy," he said. "You simply highjump." He leapt back up onto his branch as an example.

I shook my head. "Don't think I can do that either."

He cocked his head. "You are treebound?"

"Yeah."

He thought for a moment, a frown furrowing his brow, then his face suddenly lit up.

"Wait here. I'll be back everquick."

I waited, relatively patiently, for his return. As I rested, back against the impossibly tall tree, another Matoran approached me. It seemed quite nervous – not that I blamed it – so I gave a friendly smile.

The Matoran smiled shyly back, and edged forwards.

"Hey," I said. "Who are you?"

"Kulani," said the Matoran. "You are the strangeweird creature?"

"Uh, yeah, I guess so."

"And Tamarubrother is with you?"

It took me a while to work out what Kulani was saying. Why did the Lewa Clan Guys have to speak so fast? "Tamarubrother...oh! Is Tamaru your brother?"

Kulani nodded.

"I'm not sure where he is right now. He went to get something to help me climb."

Kulani looked at me with pity. "It is much hardluck to be treebound."

"Oh, I dunno. I've survived this long being treebound, I doubt a little longer will kill me."

"But how can you stand not going topleaf, or even highbranch?"

I shrugged. "Where I come from, it's not that important as it is here."

My new Matoran friend was about to reply when Tamaru returned, trailing a bunch of vines alongside him. His face lit up when he saw Kulani.

"Kulanisister! Can you help me get Carleighcreature highbranch?"

Kulani grinned, and caught the end of the vine Tamaru tossed to her. With quick deft movements, they weaved and knotted, creating a kind of ladder for me to climb.

Kulani leapt up the tree, even faster than Tamaru had done. "She is a great leaf-runner," he explained proudly. Obviously, being a leaf-runner had something to do with moving fast through the trees.

Once Kulani was perched on her branch securely, Tamaru skilfully threw the ladder up to her, and she knotted it around the branch. He then handed the end of the ladder to me.

I looked at the tree, and gulped. Oh well. Nothing for it. With a resigned sigh I put my foot in the first rung and began to climb.

DiabloCat: And that's all for now. But have no fear, I will get round to writing the next chapter eventually.


	4. First Battle

DiabloCat: I'm really sorry about the late update, but I've always been pretty pathetic at this. Anyway, we get action in this chapter. Yay!

Chessrook44: Hello again. Thanks for the tip. I did know that they lived in the trees, but the elevators were something new. So, I've added a last minute explanation in this chapter.

Nightbug08: I'm pleased you are pleased. And here it is.

Kira, Toa of Blade: I live to obey…

Jade: Ah. I suppose that semi-clears it up. Say hi to Feline Freak for me then.

CHAPTER 4: FIRST BATTLE

I gritted my teeth and tried not to look down. I've been up high before. On top of masts, on top of buildings – even clinging desperately to the outside of a plane. You'd think I'd be used to it by now.

Nope.

It didn't help that an evilly cheery breeze had sprung up and was causing the ladder to sway backwards and forwards. I just narrowed my eyes, gripped harder and kept on a-climbing.

A small crowd had gathered down below, no doubt eager to watch the strangeweird creature make a complete idiot of herself. Well, they should be happy – I was doing a pretty good job of that.

I slipped slightly on one rung, and dangled there for a moment before managing to haul myself back up. It could have been my imagination, but I could have sworn a swift gust of wind helped give me a push back into position.

Tamaru and Kulani peered down at me with anxious eyes as I struggled up the ladder. I glared at them for getting me into this, and they giggled nervously.

Finally I hauled myself onto the branch next to them, puffing from my climb. I clung to it tightly, and tried to obey that stupid mantra – don't look down, don't look down…

"Aren't there supposed to be elevators or something here?" I managed to pant out.

Tamaru shrugged. "They were damaged during the darktime. We are repairing them everquick, but they are still not ready."

"Darktime? Which darktime?" Aha! Maybe I'd finally find out what time period I was in.

Kulani shuddered. "The Bohrok-kal."

The Bohrok-kal…that meant the next bunch of evil things to attack them would be – the Rahkshi. I swallowed. Great. Just brilliant.

"Are you wishing to go topleaf now?"

I gazed up at the many branches that led to the top. "Yeah, why not?" I stood up, rather unsteadily, and transferred my grip on the branch to the trunk. From my new vantage point, a strange sound reached me. I cocked my head.

"Uh…what's that noise?"

Tamaru and Kulani looked at me in bemusement.

"Stand up," I urged.

Once upright, Kulani gasped and Tamaru blanched. They could obviously hear the same noise I was hearing, and it meant more to them than it did to me.

"What is it?"

"Rama!" whispered Tamaru, then turned and shouted. "RAMA!"

Le-Koro exploded in a frenzy of Matoran. Boy, could these guys move fast. The young ones were hustled up the trees into the huts, the warriors grabbed their weapons and readied for battle.

I just stood on the branch, gaping like an idiot.

I couldn't for the life of me remember what a Rama was. I figured it wasn't friendly, but what it was and how it was dangerous was beyond me.

"Come!" said Kulani, tugging at my sleeve and indicating the ground.

I sighed. "You mean I climbed all the way up here, only to have to go back down?"

"You cannot fight here. The Rama's are everquick, and you are not good in the trees."

"Geez, don't spare my feeling," I said wryly. "Besides, how am I supposed to get back down in time?" The noise was getting louder, indicating the Ramas were closer.

Lewa zoomed up alongside my branch, making me jump backwards in fright – and lose my balance. For a second I teetered there, arms pin-wheeling madly, then I toppled over the edge.

For the second time in less than an hour, I was falling through the air. And, again for the second time, Lewa saved my butt.

A gust of wind pulled me up sharply, so that I was hovering a few metres from the ground. I wriggled around in mid-air, so that I was facing upwards. "Thanks!" Then, muttered to myself. "I guess that solves the problem of how to get down…"

Once I had both feet firmly on the ground, I drew my sword, and squinted to where the noise was coming from. It was so loud now, it almost hurt my ears. Either that was one enormous Rama, or there were a tonne of little ones. And, either way, it didn't look too good.

There was a warning shout from a Matoran – mounted on this huge hummingbird thing – just as the first Ramas burst through the treetops.

First hummingbirds, now dragonflies. I was stuck in a maniacal garden.

Lewa leaped into action immediately, knocking two of the bugs spinning away with a blast of wind. Several Matorans ganged up on one, taking it down with a very cool move. They nudged their birdies in close, leaped off onto the Rama and sent it falling downwards under their weight. When it was about three metres off the ground, they leaped back onto the birds, leaving the Rama to crash alone.

Unfortunately, the Rama was far from completely finished. It hauled itself unsteadily onto its multiple feet, and shook its wings out, readying itself to go back into the air.

It didn't get a chance to, because I decided to interfere.

Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not an amazingly brilliant fighter, nor very courageous. My fighting skills are given to me by Demon, and as for courage – it helps a lot knowing you won't be permanently dead. And I've done a lot of battles in the past. You start to get used to it after a while.

I slashed at the Rama, and then had to spring backwards as it lashed at me with a pair of nasty pincer-claw things. It lunged for me again, I jumped backwards again – and tripped, landing flat on my back.

Oh, way to go, Carleigh! Great way to make yourself look like a hero.

Luckily, I had a few tricks up my sleeve. Or, to be more precise, in my sword. Demon had mentioned it being able to fire lightning bolts. And, knowing him, all you had to do was grip and concentrate.

There was a flash of light and the Rama reared upwards, screeching in pain, clawing at its face. I scrambled back onto my feet.

"Lightning bolts? Huh, more like static electricity," I said indignantly.

Demon's voice murmured in my ear, "What were you expecting?"

"Oh, I dunno. Something a little more effective. Y'know, something that'd fry the bug, not just make it back away." I eyed said bug warily, but it seemed to be fairly occupied for now.

"But that would make it too easy," was the smug reply, and he was gone. Not that he was physically there in the first place, but our brief conversation was over.

The Rama pulled its claws away from its face, and shook its head. There was a large, painful looking welt along the side of its face, I noted in satisfaction.

The satisfaction faded somewhat, when the Rama turned its head to face me. There was an awful lot of anger in those eyes. I gulped, and gripped my sword tighter.

It lunged at me, and I dodged to the side. The Rama was about the size of a car, and determined to eat me. It lunged again, and I dodged again, parrying a blow from its claws.

We continued like this for some time. Lunge, dodge, block. Lunge, dodge, block. I was starting to get a touch weary, and also confused. Why was it doing the same thing over and over? It was almost as if it were herding me…

My back struck a tree trunk. I cursed, and looked up in time to see a claw heading for my face. So I ducked.

The claw thunked into the tree solidly, and lodged there. Unfortunately, it also trapped me. It blocked off my left, and the other claw blocked off my right by flailing around. There was only one place to go.

I jumped onto the trapped claw, and onto the back of the Rama. Just as it pulled part of its claw free.

I staggered and fell to my knees on the back of the Rama. I didn't have much time. I had to move fast.

I raised my sword – but was jolted sideways as the Rama heaved on its trapped claw again. Grinding my teeth in irritation, I hauled myself back into a suitable position. I raised my sword again, and this time brought it down sharply.

The Rama screeched, and jolted so violently I was thrown off, to land on my back. Ugh, I was going to be so stiff tomorrow. The giant dragonfly gave one last shudder and collapsed.

I'd done my first battle on Mata Nui. And I hadn't died, or been seriously wounded. A couple of scratches, a hell of a lot of bruises, but no missing limbs or anything. Hey, it's happened before!

Overall, I was fairly pleased. And I was starting to like this place.

DiabloCat: Again, thanks for being so patient, and bearing with me. Hope you liked it. I'll write more as soon as my inspiration comes back and whacks me on the head.


	5. You Can't Escape the Plot

DiabloCat: Yay, another chappie! I know, it's not very long, and nothing very interesting happens, but the action will come eventually. This is just more of a linking chapter.

To my wonderful, wonderful reviewers…

Chessrook44: Way ahead of you. I've already seen it, and even read the book. A few years ago yes, but I've got a relatively good memory. If I make a few mistakes, I'm very sorry. But hey, nobody's perfect, right?

Nightbug08: Thank you inspiration! I adapted it slightly, but the idea was very helpful. Thanks!

Jade: Ooh, nasty. I bet it was strange popping up as a boy (as I well know from experience), and especially as a Matoran boy. At least I'm usually human!

Kira, Toa of the Blade: Aw, thanks. I'm touched.

Shadowed Suit: (Waves) Hey, great to see you again! Yeah, Le-Koro speak is confusing to read. But believe me; it's even harder to write! And I'll try to keep up the work.

Fred: No, thank YOU.

Queen of Africa: If you're who I think you are…you just wait till school restarts…

CHAPTER 5: YOU CAN'T ESCAPE THE PLOT

It's times like this I wonder why Demon picked me. I'm not very athletic. I don't belong to any sport's clubs, I don't work out, I never come first in races. I spend most of my free-time lazing around with a book, or playing on the computer.

I looked mournfully about me. While I had been tackling the ONE Rama, the Matorans – most of them a little shorter than me – and Lewa had finished off all the rest. Sheesh, they didn't need me at all!

Tamaru and Kulani bounded over. I was thankful to see they both looked okay. When one doesn't know many people, one does not want to lose the only people they do know.

"Did we win?" I asked jokingly. It was kind of obvious that we had.

Tamaru bobbed his head gleefully. "It's the best battlefight so far. No badhurt Matorans, only a few smallhurts."

I was pleased to hear that. I was beginning to really like and admire these people. They were perky, brave and knew how to have a good time. The following celebration proved that.

The next few months kept me extremely busy. I travelled around Mata Nui, checking out the various villages. I swam in lakes at Ga-Koro, skied down the slopes of Ko-Koro, climbed the piles of rocks at Po-Koro, explored deep in the caves at Onu-Koro and marvelled at volcanoes at Ta-Koro. I was enjoying have nothing pressing to do. Sure, I had a few tussles with various creatures, but nothing major.

And then the story came back to bite me.

I was watching a few Po-Matorans kick a round rock to one another through of lidded eyes. It was a hot day, with only a couple of clouds in the sky, but a cheerful gust of wind that stopped you getting overly heated. A perfect day for windriding, Lewa would have said.

Up, down, across – it was very restful just watching them. Sometimes I reckon the Po-Matorans would give the soccer players on Earth something to worry about. I myself didn't play often. For one thing, they use rocks as balls. Ever tried kicking a round rock that's as heavy as three maths text-books? It hurts. A lot.

A tan blur shot past, then skidded to a halt in front of me. Here's a tip – never challenge Pohatu to a race. He'd beat you hands down. Probably has something to do with possessing the Kanohi Mask of Speed.

"Hey," I said, waving my hand lazily.

Pohatu grinned back in return. "Enjoying yourself?"

"Immensely," I sighed, leaning back to soak up a few more rays. "There's nothing like lying around in the warm sun, watching Matorans kick rocks."

Pohatu's smile widened. I could tell he was pleased. I found it quite amusing that all of the Toa were eager to show off their villages, and anxious in case I didn't like them. So far, it had not been a problem.

"You ever heard of Koli ball, Carleigh?"

I tilted my head to the side and considered the word. "Koli ball. Hmm. Isn't that the game that's a bit like hockey?"

"Hockey?" The rock Toa raised his eyebrows.

"Never mind." I really had to stop using words the Toa wouldn't understand. I kept mixing English with Toarion (as I liked to call it) and sorting out the confusion that followed wasn't all that fun. "It's just a game we play back in my…dimension."

Pohatu nodded understandingly. "Ah. Well, Koli ball is a fairly traditional game played here. Ta-Koro has recently had a new field built, and to celebrate, there will be a tournament held there."

"Are all the villages playing?"

"No, just Po-Koro, Ga-Koro and, of course, Ta-Koro."

I winced at the thought of Gali and Tahu meeting. The two hadn't been on the best of terms lately.

Pohatu seemed to share my thoughts. "Those two will have to face their differences someday. Perhaps this friendly competition will break the ice."

I sighed. "It's more likely to send the ice flying in deadly shards."

"Maybe we should bring Kopaka," laughed the Toa.

"I have a feeling that would only inflame the situation. Oh well. I guess all siblings fight every now and then." I thought of my younger brother back on Earth. Oh yes. Siblings fight a LOT.

"Would you like to come to the tournament?"

I jerked my head up to look at him. "Really? That'd be great!" If I could remember correctly, the Koli tournament was where it all started. Time to get moving and do my job, I thought, a touch wistfully. I'd liked having nothing pressing to do.

I got to my feet and stretched. "I suppose I should start getting ready?"

Pohatu nodded. "We leave tomorrow."

I didn't mind leaving soon. I didn't exactly have much to pack, after all. Demon, after I complained to him, had dropped down a backpack for me, with changes of clothes and a few other necessary items, like a toothbrush. This had never been a problem before, because there were usually other humans around. This time however, I was the only homo sapien for miles around.

No, scratch miles, and add planets.

Isn't life great?

DiabloCat: And now to go back to the computer and stare at the screen waiting for the right words to come. Ciao!


	6. Beware of Active Volcanoes

DiabloCat: Ah, finally, another chapter. I know the script's all messed up, but there's at least one original line in there. The rest I just fudged. But I think the general meaning's the same.

Nightbug08 – Don't worry, she's heading off with Jaller and Takua all right. No way I'd miss out on that action! As for hints…hmm, she'd have to be careful. Thanks again!

Tahalli – I bring you…dun dun duuuuun…CHAPTER 6!!!

Goldenrod – I'm working on it. Very, very slowly, but I'm working on it.

Gijinka – I agree, the world needs more book-lovers. Too many kids groan about having to read. It's tragic.

Shadowed Suit – Yep, you were right. It is spelt Kohli. However, I am far too lazy to go and change it, so if you can bear having it spelt wrong, that'd be great. Thanks for the enormous review, it was very amusing, and might even have given me a few ideas…I don't think Makuta knows yet, but he'll definitely find out. Heh heh heh…

CHAPTER 6: BEWARE OF ACTIVE VOLCANOES

I rolled my shoulders and yawned. Finally, after travelling for several days, we had arrived. I could feel the heat radiating from the fiery mountain of Ta-Koro from where I was standing.

Gali, who we had met up with while we travelled, muttered something to Pohatu, who laughed.

Before I could ask what was so funny, we were greeted enthusiastically by various Ta-Matorans and, of course, Vakama, the Turaga of the village.

"Welcome, welcome," he cried. "Welcome to our fellow Toa Nuva, Turagas, Matorans and, of course, our ally Carleigh."

I grinned nervously. No matter how many times you do this kind of stuff, being a hero takes a lot of getting used to.

We all exchanged mutual greetings, which took a while. There were a lot of Bionicle there. The village people were all quite friendly with one another, and usually knew at least one person from a different village.

We then all split up into groups. Toa went with Toa to swap details on general life. Turaga went with Turaga to do the same. The Matorans clumped together, excitedly discussing the upcoming match. I wandered off into Ta-Koro to see if I could spot anyone I knew.

I strolled along amiably, taking in the sights, returning smiles and friendly hellos. I loved this little village, as much as I loved all the others. They each had there own little charm. The cool sereneness of Ga-Koro, the calm darkness of Onu-Koro, the frozen beauty of Ko-Koro and so on.

"Takuuuuuuuuuuuua?"

I froze, a chill running down my spine. That one word signalled the start of a lot of hard work. I sighed, shook my head ruefully, and trotted over to where the shout had come from.

Jaller was wandering about, hand cupped around his mouth, yelling his friend's name. I waved casually at the young Captain of the Guard, who waved back enthusiastically.

"Hey Jaller. Whatcha doing?" Okay, so I knew exactly what he was doing, but I usually prefer to keep that little fact to myself.

Jaller huffed impatiently. "Have you seen that idiot Takua? The match starts soon, and I can't find him anywhere."

I rubbed the back of my neck, pretending to think hard. "Hmm. Have you tried the lava caves?"

Jaller shook his head. "No, I was just about to."

I grinned. "Let's go then."

I let Jaller lead the way. He knew this place a lot better than me. Well, he did live here.

As we went deeper into the caves, it began to get hotter and hotter. I swiped the sweat out of my eyes and concentrated on keeping up with the energetic Matoran. Despite the fact he was a fair bit shorter than me, he seemed to have boundless energy.

Jaller halted suddenly. "Well, there's Pewku." Pewku was Takua's Ussel Crab, a very friendly and dog-like crustacean. She'd even lick your face if you got too close.

"And there's Takua," I said, nodding in his direction. The Chronicler was intent on investigating a stone totem, and was unaware of us. Jaller soon made him well aware.

"Takua! What are you doing down here alone?"

Takua jerked up in surprise, swivelling around to stare at us. His face lit up in recognition. "Just exploring."

Jaller scowled. "Turaga Vakama would have a fit if he knew. You're not supposed to come down here alone! And what about the Koli match?"

Takua practically clapped a hand to his forehead. "The match! I completely forgot…"

"Takua, when are you going to take responsibility for yourself? You need to settle down, stop dashing off everywhere, and find your destiny."

"Jaller, I don't think I HAVE a destiny."

"Only cos you won't stay in one place long enough to find one!"

"Yeah, well, you know me. Always different."

Jaller rolled his eyes. "Just hurry up. We'll be late!"

"Just give me a second!" Takua swung round, grabbing the stone totem he'd been examining. I shivered in anticipation, and just a little anxiousness.

Inside that totem was the Mask of Light.

As Takua walked back towards the stepping stones that would get him across the lava, I shuddered again. But it wasn't just me that was shuddering – it was the whole place!

Jaller stumbled, landing against me, and I braced myself on Pewku. But poor Takua had no one and nothing to grip, and fell over, dropping the totem as he did so. The cylindrical lump of rock rolled down, despite Takua's frantic clutching, and landed with a plop in the lava.

He gave a groan of dismay, and scrambled down to where it had submerged. Suddenly, in a dramatic blinding blaze of light, something re-emerged. Takua's eyes widened and he reached down and cautiously scooped it up.

If you guessed it was the Mask of Light, give yourself a pat on the back.

Takua juggled the Mask for a few seconds. If I'd tried to pick it up, I would have scorched my hands badly. Takua hardly seemed to notice the fact the Mask had just come out of boiling hot lava. I suppose that comes from being a fire Matoran.

Jaller's jaw dropped, and even I was impressed. Things look so much cooler in real life. No amount of computer graphics could capture the Mask's stunning glow.

There was another low rumble, and a few chips of rock fell from the ceiling.

"Takua," shouted Jaller. "Hurry up!"

Takua clambered to his feet, snapped out of his study of the Mask. He began to hastily hop across the rocks.

Yet another rumble sounded out, louder and more menacing this time. I could see by the looks on Jaller's and Takua's faces that they knew what this meant. And, thanks to the movie, so did I.

Lava tsunami.

Takua, typical Chronicler that he is, threw the Mask over to Jaller to make sure it was safe. Just in time too.

The lava wave surged around the corner. And, unlike the movie, it wasn't just heading for Takua; it was heading for ALL of us. Damn Demon and his little quirks. And, just to make it worse, it was huge!

"Holy sh-," I began. Thankfully the roaring of the lava drowned out the rest of my sentence, so this can remain a relatively G-rated story.

Takua was understandably petrified too. I heard him yell. "Ah…Jaller!"

I lunged over next to Pewku, grabbing Jaller by the collar and yanking him unceremoniously over next to me. Without further ado, I stabbed my sword in the ground, triggering the force field and holding it in place through sheer force of will.

It isn't as easy as it sounds, believe me.

I glanced up just before the lava enveloped us, and saw a flash or red dart by where Takua was. Good, Tahu was on the ball and Takua was safe.

For the next few seconds, we were greeted with the bizarre sight of lava everywhere. It would have been fascinating, had I not been struggling to keep the force field up and terrified it would fail.

When the flow finally subsided, I let the field drop with a sigh of relief and collapsed down on the ground. Pewku licked me on the face a few times, and I tried half-heartedly to fend her off.

Jaller was staring at the place where Takua had been in horror. "Mata Nui," he whispered. "Takua…"

I took pity on him and raised one hand wearily. "Don't worry; he's fine."

The Captain swivelled round to look at me. "What?"

"He's fine, don't worry. Just wait for a bit."

Jaller nodded uncertainly and sat down next to me. I was glad to see he still clasped the Mask.

Sure enough, after a few minutes, Tahu appeared. Jaller immediately jumped to his feet eagerly. "Toa Tahu? Is Takua…?"

The Matoran poked his head over Tahu's shoulder and grinned. Jaller looked immensely relieved, and then covered the moment by making a jibe at his friend.

"Idiot! You could have been lava-bones!"

Takua jumped down. "Could have been…but I'm not."

Tahu laughed, and they all began to talk. I drowned it out. I already knew pretty much what was going on. Tahu was noticing the Mask, telling Jaller to show Vakama after the match. Then he was telling them to go win the match.

Like I said, I drowned it out. I was too busy focusing on this other though that had popped into my head.

Around about now, Makuta would be realising what has happened. He would be talking to his slumbering brother in the manner of slightly insane bad guys. He'd be reciting old history, and considering his options.

And soon he would be releasing the Rahkshi.

DiabloCat: Phew. Finally got that done. And now, I have some terrible news.

School is starting again for me. (For those this statement confuses, Australians have different school years to others.) And I'll be in grade 11 – the worst of them all. That means the next chapter probably won't come out for AGES!!! I'm really, really sorry. I'd much rather write than go back to school.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter. I made it nice and long and didn't end on too much of a cliff-hanger for you. (Hey, I could have ended it where the lava was coming!) I'll round to working on it as soon as possible, but for now, adios!


	7. Tensions and Tournaments

DiabloCat: Aha! I managed to finish a chapter! I suggest reading it very slowly. From previous experience, it'll have to last about six months! (Grins sheepishly) I know, I know, terrible habit. But the good news is I actually have an accurate outline of the plot and original lines! My younger cousin owns the book, so I borrowed it off him. Well, actually, I nicked it from his bookshelf. Hey, what he doesn't know won't hurt me. And now that I have the book, I will be able to write the story faster. Hooray!

I don't believe I've done a disclaimer so far. So here it is: I own nothing to do with Bionicle. I do own myself (at least I think so), Demon, and the whole Paper Doorways thing (that's what I plan to call it if it ever evolves into a trend). So if I catch anyway stealing it, I will send you evil glares and Demon will find the most evil villains possible and send them after you.

One last thing that I have forgotten to mention: this story contains GREAT HONKING SPOILERS! Most of you would have figured this out already, but if you haven't and you haven't seen the movie, then you may want to do that first.

And to my beautiful reviewers:

Nightbug08: I always forget. All – the – time. I swear, two seconds after someone tells me something, I have to ask them to repeat it. It's a serious…serious…what was I saying?

Tahalli: Sorry to keep you waiting so long. And thanks for the school encouragement. I got pretty good grades! Yippee! Hope this chapter is good enough to make up for the long wait.

Feline Freak aka Jade: Glad that's all cleared up. As to changing the storyline and putting it all back – I believe it's been done, but in other stories. Maybe not this one, cos whenever it happens, it means a lot of hard work, and that means extra thinking and writing…and I'm already pathetic at updating. But maybe another time…

And now (after this unnaturally long chattering) -

CHAPTER 7: TENSION AND TOURNAMENTS

"Oops. Sorry! 'Scuse me. Oh geez, I'm really sorry about that…"

I sidled through the stands, muttering apologies as I accidentally trod on pretty much every single Matoran's feet. I don't think it hurt them too much though, considering their feet are ten times harder than mine.

Finally I made it to where Tahu, Gali and Pohatu were sitting. I slumped down in my seat with a relieved sigh. Back in my world, I practically never went to big sports matches. Now I remembered why. Noise, noise, noise – and did I mention ear-splitting, babbling noise?

Thankfully, Turaga Vakama stood and signalled for the crowd to be silent. His voice echoed over the field. "We are thankful to the Great Spirit for his six guardians who represent the elements…"

I listened to this speech with one ear, but used the rest of my senses to examine the scene. One thing I loved about this world was the colours. They were so vivid and bright, and also come in handy when identifying things. As you can imagine, red, blue, green, brown, black and white are most common. In the stone bleachers, however, only three of the colours were evident. Half were filled with stocky brown Po-Matorans, who were the ones mostly responsible for the noise. The other half were taken by the quieter blue Ga-Matorans, and interspersed between the two groups were the quick-tempered red Ta-Matorans.

"…and given us hope for the future, for our history's next chapter." Vakama turned and bowed in our direction. "Three of these protectors are with us today. Let us welcome them. First, the spirit of fire, Toa Tahu!"

Tahu leapt up from his seat, waving his swords about to produce a spurt of fire. The event underground obviously hadn't tired him out at all. In fact, it seemed to have given him an extra spur of energy. I scowled. Lucky hunk of plastic.

Vakama continued. "From the village of water, Toa Gali!" Gali stood, saluting the crowd by raising her aqua axe. "From the village of stone, Toa Pohatu!" With his natural, casual humour, Pohatu waved, his huge claws shining in the sun. "And of course, our resident traveller from a far away land, Carleigh!" I also saluted the crowd, but used the traditional salute from Earth.

Vakama then launched into a long speech that basically laid on praise and worship to the Toa. I understood that they owed a lot to the Elementals, but sometimes it seemed a bit much. I leant back in my seat, and attempted to stifle a yawn.

Tahu bowed to Gali, who had yet to sit down again. "Pleasure to see you again, Gali."

"Thank you Tahu," was the cool reply. I raised an eyebrow. It was all very polite and formal, the normal sort of talk for those who have only met recently. But these two HADN'T only met recently. They were brother and sister, for crying out loud!

The strangeness continued as Tahu offered the seat next to his own, only to have Gali sit in another one, leaving an empty seat between them. A rejection if I ever saw one. Pohatu and I exchanged an exasperated glance, before he bounded over and sat in the empty seat. He wrapped an arm around their shoulders in a half friendly, half you're-being-stupid-so-stop-it way.

"You two," he said, shaking his head in mock-despair. "Still so ill at ease?"

"I think my brother is afraid of having his fire extinguished," Gali said, her voice carrying double tones much like Pohatu's gesture.

Tahu obviously caught the hidden messages, and responded in exactly the same way. "Sister, against me you'd be nothing but steam – hot air, as they say."

I flicked my eyes at Pohatu. The tension between the siblings was surprisingly strong, considering all they'd been through. Normally I'd have piped up by now with some inane comment to try and lessen the atmosphere, but I was unsure that would help this time. It might actually make it worse!

Suddenly the crowd fell quiet again, and I noticed Vakama was wrapping up the speech. "We dedicate this new Koli field to the Great Spirit, Mata Nui. And to the three virtues: unity, duty and destiny!"

In a great roar, the crowd chanted back, "Unity, duty, destiny!"

Vakama smiled. "Let the tournament begin!"

The roar came again, but this time it was sheer joy and excitement. I was startled to realise that I was quivering with anticipation, despite the fact I already knew how it was going to end. It was just the thrill of BEING there, with the cheering Matorans and the vibes flowing through the air so thickly I had a sudden urge to swipe the air in front of me to try and clear it.

The announcer took over from Vakama, his voice booming out over the crowd's chatter. "Ta-Koro welcomes three teams!" There was a grinding sound and part of the arena wall twisted and opened to create a goal, and a passageway for two brown contestants. "From the desert village of Po-Koro, Copper Mask winners and undisputed Koli champions…Hewkii and Hafu!" The two contestants raised their stick to an enormous cheer, especially from the brown section of the stand. Pohatu beamed proudly.

Another grinding noise, and another goal and pair of players, this time blue. "From Ga-Koro, the challengers – Hahli and Macku!" Another cheer, but from the other side of the stands and it was Gali who was smiling.

Rock grated against stone for the last time, and I grinned as Takua and Jaller skidded into view, sending up a spray of dirt. "And from Ta-Koro, the Captain of the Guard and the Chronicler, Jaller and Takua!" From the wide grin on Takua's face, he was enjoying this a lot.

I smiled sadly. Jaller and Takua were some of my closest Matoran friends on the island. Yes, I always make it a point to get to know the main characters, but I probably would have liked them even if I'd never seen them before. They just had that sort of personality. And I naturally would have loved to see them win the tournament. Unfortunately, the plot had other ideas.

Takua, Hahli and Hewkii moved into the centre of the field, and exchanged the customary greeting 'play well'. They then tensed, eyes staring at the circle from which the Koli balls would erupt.

There was a click, and the circle opened to let two Koli balls soar into the air. The three players leapt into action, accompanied by a cheer from the crowd. Hahli was the first to scoop up a ball, and she darted away before either of the boys could stop her. Instead, they tussled over the remaining ball. Takua scooped it up for a second, but stumbled, allowing Hewkii to snatch it off him. I could see the scowl on his face as he sped after his opponent.

In the meantime, Hahli had reached the Ta-Matoran goal, and knocked the ball towards it at a speed that would have sent me diving for the ground with my hands over my head. Jaller, however, simply knocked it away with his stick.

In the typical Matoran good spirit, she smiled and complimented him on the save. I couldn't hear the exact words from this distance, but I saw Jaller puff himself up a little, cross his arms and cock his head. He was definitely bragging. I winced. Everyone knows that bragging is the male species way of trying to impress the female, but it's not a good idea to do it unless one is absolutely certain they're correct.

There was a sudden roar from the crowd, and I started, having forgotten about the rest of the game. As it turned out, Hewkii had managed to get a ball past the Ga-Matoran goal, giving Po-Koro one point. Two more, and they would win the tournament.

The game raged back and forth. Hewkii scored another goal, and Hahli managed to sink two, though none of these were in the Ta-Matoran goal. Jaller didn't brag without reason – he was good. Takua was good too, but he just wasn't quick enough. I had to admit, mind you, that his opponents were hard. The Ga-Matorans were graceful and agile, while the Po-Matorans were extremely quick. I could see he was getting disheartened. I shot a quick glance sideways. Tahu was too. The Fire Toa's fists were clenched, and he was staring at the game in desperation.

Again the balls flew out of the circle, and again Hahli was the quickest to respond. That girl had amazing reflexes! The balls bounced along the ground, heading in different direction. Takua and Hewkii found themselves jumping for the same ball, and accidentally collided, sending both of them flying backwards. Ouch.

For once, Takua was quickest off the mark, and managed to scoop the ball up before Hewkii could reach it. He then launched into his 'special move', something I'd seen him practising on my last trip here. Back then, it had sent the ball spiralling into the goal faster and with more force than any other I'd seen.

Here, however, his shot went wide. It didn't lose any of the power or speed though, and ended up embedded in the stands, narrowly missing some spectators who'd had to scramble beneath their seats to get out of the way. And just to make things worse, Takua didn't land properly, and instead ended up munching dirt.

"Ooh, I don't think we've seen THAT move before!" cried the announcer, sounding positively gleeful. I felt insulted on behalf of my friends, and glared in his direction, though he couldn't see. Beside me, Tahu groaned and placed his head in his hands.

I looked back at the field, just in time to see Hahli finally get the better of the Captain of the Guard. Jaller leapt, swinging wildly with his stick, but it zoomed past and landed with a loud 'clunk' at the back of his goal.

"Hahli scores! Goal and tournament to Ga-Koro!" The blue section of the stand immediately began cheering and laughing, waving their hands about and leaping about all over the place.

Gali gave a delighted laugh, and turned to clank fists with Pohatu, who gave a wry shrug as if to say 'never mind, maybe next time'. She then turned and offered her fist to Tahu. The Fire Spirit didn't even acknowledge her. He simply gazed down at his feet. I heaved a silent sigh. It was rather ridiculous. Whenever one tried to be courteous, the other would reject them.

The three teams gathered in the centre of the field, and Turaga Vakama stood again. "Congratulations to Ga-Koro! And well played by all."

"They did play well," I said. "I mean, I can hardly lift one of those balls, let alone bash it round a field." Pohatu laughed, Gali chuckled, and even Tahu gave a brief smile. I grinned, with a touch of smugness. If I have but one talent, it's the ability to make people laugh. I hate depressing atmospheres, and don't mind mocking myself if it'll get a smile.

The contestants raised their sticks to salute Vakama. I leaned forward slightly, eyes fixed on Jaller. As his stick went up, his Koli bag was knocked askew – and the Mask of Light tumbled out. It thudded onto the ground, resting against Takua's foot. Instantly, a ray of light, brighter than that of the sun's, beamed out and Jaller was caught right in the middle of it. He stumbled back, hands up in front of his face, blinded by the intensity of the light.

The Mask rolled off Takua's foot, and the light faded away. Jaller dropped his arms and stared at Takua, who simply stared back. Vakama hobbled over, awe lacing his voice when he spoke. "Come, we must take this to the Suva immediately!"

"A Great Kanohi Mask!" murmured Pohatu. "How did that young Matoran come to have it?"

"Found it in the caverns," replied Tahu shortly. He stood and began striding down to the Turagas and Matorans, with Gali and Pohatu close behind him.

"Mind if I tag along?" I called after them. This was where the plot really started to kick in, and I didn't want to miss it.

"Not at all," Tahu shouted back. "But hurry up!"

I sighed and rolled my shoulders, wincing as bones cracked. I was still somewhat tired after the lava cave incident, but there was no time to rest. Soon the purpose of the Mask would be revealed. Soon the quest would begin. And soon trouble would start raining down.

"Oh, don't sound so glum," whispered a disembodied voice in my ear. Demon. "You like trouble."

"Shh," I hissed back. "I'm not supposed to admit that."

He chuckled. "Well, unless you want a different sort of trouble, I suggest hurrying. They're leaving you behind."

I yelped, and began to jog after my friends.

DiabloCat: I hope that was satisfactory. It was longer than any other chapters, so I hope it at least half makes up for the long wait.

BIG thanks to all who review. Ciao for now!


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